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Kathy, (aka "Bessie"), and I began our beekeeping experience in the fall of 2008, when we began a year-long course in beekeeping through the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We got our first package of bees in April of 2009. At the suggestion of our daughter, Jessica, we are logging our beekeeping experience. Hope you find it interesting. It has been interesting, rewarding and entertaining for us as well.

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Upper sixties today, so I wanted to get the liquid feeder on, with a spring dosage of fumagilin-B for nosema), and check on the hive's status. Bees were flying all around. The first thing I noticed was the large amount of pollen sitting on the landing board.
Bees were bring in pollen like crazy, a good sign. I hated to see all that pollen wasted, though. I think they are having a hard time getting into the hive with their loads, given the small entrances both below and above. To remedy that, I drilled a hole through the spacer above the top box which I have on to give room for patties. They seemed to love that.
I did pull all three boxes apart and pulled a frame or two from each. I thought maybe the queen had descended to the lowest level, which has many empty frames, but she apparently is in the upper box since that is where I found the larva, some capped.
So, there are a lot of bees in this hive. That's good news. I should be able to do one, possibly two splits. I&…

The bees are loving it. From the one hive I have left, they are out looking for any source of food available. As I have noticed in the past, even before the crocuses poke up, the bees are hitting my birdfeeder, getting as much pollen or protein they can.

They're even on the ground around the feeder, picking at seeds and things the birds (and sometimes the dam*! squirrels) kick out of the feeder.
After lunch it should be in the mid-sixties. I need to check on feed and reduce the hive by removing a box. I won't do a full inspection but I hope to be able to tell if a queen is active.